*RELIC*Verwisian History

Tribal Period
The earliest recorded history in the lands that would become Verwis is the story of three warring tribes, the populous and large Tanaquill, the forest dwelling Nanaki, and the elusive and migratory Themus. The three tribes often fought for land, resources, and even people at times. Most of these "wars" ended in stalemates however, as although all the tribes had intimate knowledge of the land and how to use it to their advantage, no one tribe had the power to take on the other two at the same time. This changed when one unknown year, in late Fall right before winter, the Themus tribe managed to trick the Tanaquill and Nanaki peoples into a war that devastated both the tribe's stockpiles for the winter. The resulting famine and disease over the course of the entire winter allowed the Themus tribe to finally establish control of the entire region come spring, forming a "Kingdom of the Themus" that led them into the Feudal Age.

Feudal Age
Once the Kingdom of the Themus was established technology and quality of life rose, roads were built, villages established, and the first stone forts were being built. Old grudges still lingered however, and a massive rebellion against the leaders of the kingdom broke out when they tried to establish themselves as "rulers from the heavens." While the rebellion was large and the rulers unpopular, it was unorganized. Historical records become spotty for the next decade or so, as the massive but untrained and unorganized peasants formed factions and took control over large swaths of land, building their own castles then they couldn't take over their enemies' forts, and slowly but surely the old power balance reformed, with three new kingdoms being formed in the aftermath. The north was controlled by the Flavian Kingdom, the south-west by the Kingdom of Aulus, and the center and east by the reformed Herodian Kingdom, which saw the last remnants of the Kingdom of the Themus overhaul the political scene. Records start to become more common in this time as the kingdoms establish borders and the fighting dies down with many realizing that the split is permanent. The next couple of years see the three kingdoms enter into an early form of cold war, as they race to outpace the others in any field possible. It is believed that this moment led to the complete and utter blackout of any foreign influence. As peasant families and even entire villages would declare allegiance to the kingdom that they approved of the most, all three kingdoms implemented a similar strategy at around the same time. Many castles and forts were built, walls constructed, and a heavy emphasis in warfare strategy and logistics became a cultural norm. As such, each kingdom quickly formed large armies, and joining up was the closest a peasant could get to becoming a noble. With castles and walled forts becoming very commonplace, any attack would get eradicated before any progress was made. With the complete stalemate, and foreign influence completely ignored, the region stayed mostly the same for an unusual amount of time for a feudal society of the times. This prolonged isolation and military stalemate cemented the modern day Verwisian culture of warfare and logistic excellence along with most aspects of feudal life. This eventually changed when a foreign nation, that has since been lost to time, refused to be ignored. After launching a surprise attack against the Takarin Kingdom(which was originally the Aulus Kingdom) that completely destroyed the western half of the kingdom, the three met to form a temporary alliance under The High Court, which was a council of every noble family to organize the now united kingdoms. After 12 years of war, many nobles and peasants alike dead, and castles burned to the ground, the invaders were eventually driven out, and the policy of isolation ended by the new High Court of Gravith, solidifying control and ending the three kingdoms, leading the new nation into the modern day.

Modern Times
The sudden shock of finally acknowledging the world as a whole, along with the mounting problems of rebilding the region led to the creation of the High Court of Gravith, a democratically elected council that was intended to maintain peace between the noble families and the peasants, lead the region in times of crisis, and mediate disputes between the bigger nobles. Over the next century, the High Court became extremely corrupt, making decisions based on how much money could be thrown at them, and their duties largely ignored. With the economy region-wide in a free fall, castles and other historical sites in disrepair, and the nobles too busy bickering to fix things locally, one impoverished son from a minor nobility decided to change things. learning from histories mistakes, Lord Otho Vitellius started an uprising against the High Court. Instead of just fanning the flames of rage, he kept the goal of just ousting the High Court. With how popular he became as a leader however with his early victories against the disorganized Courts forces, the goal eventually became the foundation of an empire, with him as its first Emperor. A full decade later he succeeded, crowning himself Emperor Kaisir I of the Holy Empire of Verwis. As he had no children, and to keep the peasants happy, he established the Inquisitive Council, a smaller but still powerful version of the High Court, but reserved ultimate power for himself. He also began the tradition of naming a Prince/Princess Elect, in order to circumvent the problems of a typical autocracy.

Moderner Times
After a few generations of the autocracy being exposed to the pressure of the world at large, a single assassination pushed Verwis into a death spiral. After the death of Kaisir IV the stress of constant threat of death, political maneuvers, dealing with domestic problems, and being suddenly thrust into the position without finishing her training broke the new Kaisir V. In just a few months her insane policies and decisions left the citizens of Verwis no choice but to protest in the then capitol of Ravenna, in an effort to convince her to step down. Unfortunately, her paranoia had gone too far, and she ordered the crowd to be fired upon. Many in Verwis consider this moment the official start of the Civil War.

Civil War (not Marvel)
The Civil War started as an unorganized mess, as news spread of the Ravenna massacre people of every walk of life took their sides. As the target of many of Kaisir IV's "preemptive assassination" campaigns, the Western and Northern regions of mainland Verwis found massive Rebel support. Worried about the Kalts right next door, the Eastern region found themselves loyal to the autocracy as a way to stay secure and Verwisian. The Centre had a big Rebel support as well, but being the Capital resistance was mostly suppressed. The South region weirdly found itself in a sort of civil war of its own, as the line of loyalty split even families themselves apart. In the beginning there was no ideological unity to the Rebel forces, aside from the need to see Kaisir IV deposed. As time went on and the war progressed, leaders natural arose from the ashes of the old Empire, leading their own sections as they saw fit, laying down the base work for the modern Soviet of today. Many of these leaders remain in positions of power in the Soviet Council, being trusted from the days of the Revolution to remain reelected.